The Decca Years (Kingston Trio album)
Encyclopedia
The Decca Years is a compilation of The Kingston Trio
's four albums recorded for the Decca Records
label. Folk Era had previously reissued The Kingston Trio (Nick Bob John)
, Stay Awhile
and Children of the Morning
, each including tracks from Somethin' Else
as bonus tracks. They are presented here in the same song order as the reissues.
The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds...
's four albums recorded for the Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
label. Folk Era had previously reissued The Kingston Trio (Nick Bob John)
The Kingston Trio (Nick Bob John)
The Kingston Trio is an album by the American folk music group The Kingston Trio, released in 1964...
, Stay Awhile
Stay Awhile (Kingston Trio album)
Stay Awhile is an album by the American folk music group The Kingston Trio, released in 1965 . It was their second release on the Decca label. It continued their downward slide in the charts, reaching only number 126 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart...
and Children of the Morning
Children of the Morning
Children of the Morning is an album by the American folk music group The Kingston Trio, released in 1966 . It was their last album on the Decca label. Three singles were released from the album and all were commercial flops, as was the album...
, each including tracks from Somethin' Else
Somethin' Else (Kingston Trio album)
Somethin' Else is an album by the American folk music group The Kingston Trio, released in 1965 . It was the first Kingston Trio principal album to miss the charts completely...
as bonus tracks. They are presented here in the same song order as the reissues.
Reception
Writing for Allmusic, music critic Zac Johnson wrote of the album; "This three-disc set from Folk Era Records covers the Kingston Trio's Decca recordings from 1964-1967... An informative booklet containing a history of this era and the original liner notes only sweetens the deal."Track listing
- "Midnight SpecialMidnight Special (song)"Midnight Special" is a traditional folk song thought to have originated among prisoners in the American South. The title comes from the refrain which refers to the Midnight Special and its "ever-loving light" ....
" (Lead Belly) – 2:07 - "Love's Been Good to Me" (Rod McKuenRod McKuenRod McKuen is an American poet, songwriter, composer, and singer. He was one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. Throughout his career, McKuen produced a wide range of recordings, which included popular music, spoken word poetry, film soundtracks, and classical music...
) – 3:05 - "Poverty Hill" (Fred HellermanFred HellermanFred Hellerman, born in Brooklyn, New York and educated at Brooklyn College, is an American folk singer, guitarist, producer and song writer, primarily known as one of the members of The Weavers, together with Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, and Ronnie Gilbert...
, Fran MinkoffFran MinkoffFrances "Fran" Minkoff was an American lyricist.She is best known for her songs co-written with Fred Hellerman of The Weavers...
) – 3:22 - "Someday Soon" (Ian TysonIan TysonIan Tyson CM, AOE is a Canadian singer-songwriter, best known for his song "Four Strong Winds". He was also one half of the duo Ian & Sylvia.-Career:Tyson was born to British immigrants in Victoria in 1933, and grew up in Duncan B.C...
) – 2:49 - "Gotta Travel On" (Paul Clayton, Larry Ehrlich, Ronnie GilbertRonnie GilbertRonnie Gilbert is an American folk-singer. She is one of the original members of the Weavers with Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, and Fred Hellerman.-Career:...
, Lee Hays, Fred HellermanFred HellermanFred Hellerman, born in Brooklyn, New York and educated at Brooklyn College, is an American folk singer, guitarist, producer and song writer, primarily known as one of the members of The Weavers, together with Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, and Ronnie Gilbert...
, Dave Lazar, Pete SeegerPete SeegerPeter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
) – 3:18 - "Hope You Understand" (John Stewart) – 2:20
- "Little Play Soldiers" (Martin Cooper) – 2:20
- "Love Comes a Trickling Down" (Jonathan Harris) – 2:53
- "My Ramblin' Boy" (Tom PaxtonTom PaxtonThomas Richard Paxton is an American folk singer and singer-songwriter who has been writing, performing and recording music for over forty years...
) – 3:42 - "More Poems" (Mason WilliamsMason WilliamsMason Williams is an American guitarist and composer, best known for his guitar instrumental "Classical Gas". He is also a comedy writer, known for his writing on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and Saturday Night Live...
) – 1:42 - "Farewell (Fare Thee Well)" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) – 3:16 - "I'm Going Home" (Fred Geis) – 2:22
- "Long Time Blues" (Williams) – 2:21
- "Come Gather the Time" (Stewart) – 2:26
- "Hanna Lee" (Stan Jones, Richard Mills) – 3:14
- "Three Song" (Williams) – 2:08
- "Gonna Go Down the River" (Dallas FrazierDallas FrazierDallas Frazier is an American country musician and songwriter who had success in the 1950s and 60s.-Biography:Frazier was born in Spiro, Oklahoma but was raised in Bakersfield, California...
, Buddy Mize) – 2:01 - "Rusting in the Rain" (Rod McKuenRod McKuenRod McKuen is an American poet, songwriter, composer, and singer. He was one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. Throughout his career, McKuen produced a wide range of recordings, which included popular music, spoken word poetry, film soundtracks, and classical music...
) – 2:43 - "Dooley" (Rodney Dillard, Mitch Jayne) – 1:53
- "If I Had a Ship" (Williams) – 3:28
- "Yes I Can Feel It" (Williams) – 2:28
- "Bottle of Wine" (Paxton) – 1:56
- "Stories of Old" (Stewart) –3:01
- "Where I'm Bound" (Paxton) – 2:37
- "If You See Me Go" (Stewart) – 2:00
- "Stay Awhile" (Nick ReynoldsNick ReynoldsNick Reynolds was an American folk musician and recording artist. Reynolds was one of the founding members of The Kingston Trio, whose largely folk-based material captured international attention during the late fifties and early sixties.- Early life :Growing up in Coronado, California, his...
, Bob ShaneBob ShaneBob Shane is an American singer and guitarist and, with Nick Reynolds' passing in October 2008, the only surviving founding member of The Kingston Trio. In that capacity, Shane became a seminal figure in the revival of folk and other acoustic music as a popular art form in the U.S...
, Stewart) – 2:12 - "Dancing Distance" (Stewart, Williams) – 2:36
- "They Are Gone" (Williams) – 2:43
- "Last Thing on My Mind" (Paxton) – 3:02
- "Early Morning Rain" (Gordon LightfootGordon LightfootGordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr. is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music, and has been credited for helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s...
) – 2:37 - "Children of the Morning" (Stewart) – 2:41
- "Hit and Run" (Stewart) – 2:15
- "When You've Been Away for a Long Time" (Stewart) – 3:07
- "Lei Pakalana" (Samuel F. Omar) – 2:16
- "Gaze on Other Heavens" (Stewart) – 2:36
- "A Taste of HoneyA Taste of Honey (song)"A Taste of Honey" is a pop standard written by Bobby Scott and Ric Marlow. It was originally an instrumental track written for the 1960 Broadway version of the 1958 British play A Taste of Honey . Both the original and a cover by Herb Alpert in 1965 earned the song Grammy Awards...
" (Bobby Scott, Ric MarlowRic MarlowRic Marlow is an American songwriter and actor, best known for co-writing with Bobby Scott the song "A Taste of Honey" which won a Grammy in 1962. The song has been recorded by many artists including Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Herb Alpert, and The Beatles...
) – 1:44 - "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"Norwegian Wood " is a song by The Beatles, first released on the 1965 album Rubber Soul....
" (John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
) – 2:21 - "Put Your Money Away" (Stewart) – 2:47
- "Lock All the Windows" (Stewart) – 3:16
- "Less of Me" (Glen CampbellGlen CampbellGlen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
) – 2:25 - "The Spinnin' of the World" (Stewart) – 2:02
- "A Little Soul Is Born" (Stewart) – 2:56
- "Where Are You Going Little Boy?" (Stewart) – 2:23
- "Go Tell Roger" (Stewart, Randy Cierley) – 1:50
- "Red River Shore" (Arranged by Jack Splittard, Cierley) – 2:32
- "Runaway Song" (Stewart) – 2:03
Personnel
- Bob ShaneBob ShaneBob Shane is an American singer and guitarist and, with Nick Reynolds' passing in October 2008, the only surviving founding member of The Kingston Trio. In that capacity, Shane became a seminal figure in the revival of folk and other acoustic music as a popular art form in the U.S...
– vocals, guitar, banjo - Nick ReynoldsNick ReynoldsNick Reynolds was an American folk musician and recording artist. Reynolds was one of the founding members of The Kingston Trio, whose largely folk-based material captured international attention during the late fifties and early sixties.- Early life :Growing up in Coronado, California, his...
– vocals, tenor guitar, bongos, conga - John Stewart – vocals, banjo, guitar, harmonica
- Dean Reilly – bass
Production notes
- Frank Werber – producer
- Allan Shaw – reissue producer
- Ben Blake – liner notes, song annotations
- Bill Bush – liner notes
- Dick Nolan – liner notes
- Mason WilliamsMason WilliamsMason Williams is an American guitarist and composer, best known for his guitar instrumental "Classical Gas". He is also a comedy writer, known for his writing on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and Saturday Night Live...
– liner notes - John Stewart – liner notes